Over 3,000 migrants return to Afghanistan from Turkey in last 20 days

More than 3,000 Afghans have been transported from Turkey to Kabul for deportation in the past 20 days, Afghan news agency Khaama Press reported, citing the head of the Refugee Ministry’s Legal Support Directorate.

According to the source, seven families and seven children were among the 3,090 people deported by plane.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has provided financial assistance to 3,083 of these individuals, with a total assistance of 36,996,000 Afghans, Khaama Press reported.

Citing sources, the Afghan News Agency said 1,402 of them received healthcare services from the same office and 2,416 people were added to the contact list.

Meanwhile, the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugee Affairs and the International Organization for Migration’s joint reception office at Kabul International Airport were temporarily closed due to the country’s government transition.

Recently, neighboring countries including Iran, Pakistan and Turkey have stepped up deportation operations in response to the country’s ongoing acute humanitarian crisis, which has been exacerbated by the Herat earthquake.

According to Khaama Press, more than 6,000 Afghan migrants re-entered the country in one day through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings. The Afghan Refugee Ministry said on Sunday that a total of 6,101 Afghan migrants had returned through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings on Saturday, November 11.

Many Afghans who arrived in Pakistan after the Taliban takeover in August 2021 had been encouraged to apply for resettlement programs in several countries including the US, UK, Canada and Germany, but have been left in a state of limbo with expired Pakistani visas and lengthy resettlement processes, making them vulnerable to detention and deportation.